The In-Between Years
by Shiika777
Summary: So this is basically how I see events playing out after Ty defeats Boss Cass in the first game. It's basically gonna be centered on Ty (getting used to being a hero) and Sly (turning over a new leaf). This is my first time publishing a fan-fiction, so please feel free to comment. Sorry in advance if any of the chapters are very long; I tend to write a lot.


So what's a Tasmanian Tiger to do after saving all the mammals in the world? Ty certainly didn't know. He was still in shock of seeing his parents after twelve long years of being separated from his family. The reunion was emotional. It was the first time Shazza had ever seen her boyfriend cry. He stayed in his parents' embrace for what seemed like hours; he didn't wanna leave. His parents were crying, too.

Soon after his parents came out of the dreaming, the portal reopened and the rest of his family came out: cousins, aunts, uncles, and his sister, Betty. The family hug stopped when the portal opened again. The tigers came out: Betty landed in the center of them. As she got to her feet, Ty stood back, paralyzed. He knew her from somewhere, but wasn't sure who she was; he didn't recognize his own sister. She had grown up since he last saw her. She was 24 now. She stood up; her gaze fell immediately on Ty. She saw his eyes, and knew exactly who he was.

"Ty," she said in breathless surprise and happiness. "Oh my gosh." She put her hands to her mouth for a few seconds. Then ran and hugged her baby brother as tears streamed down her face. He stepped back a bit at first, but when she hugged him, he knew it was his sister. He immediately hugged her back and started crying (in part because he didn't recognize her at first, and in part that he was reunited with her).

"Betty," he said in a whisper. Tears were streaming down his face in a fresh wave.

"Don't cry, baby bro," she said, hugging him tighter. "I'm here."

They're parents looked on, holding each other in tearful happiness. Shaz looked on as well, happy that her boyfriend had been reunited with his family after so many years.

Ty and Betty stopped hugging after a little while. They both wiped their faces. Ty just remembered that Shazza was still there. He turned and walked toward her and grabbed her hand.

"Mum, Dad, Betty, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Shazza."

They're eyes opened wide; last time they saw Ty was when he was three. Now he just introduced his girlfriend.

"You'll have to forgive us," Bri, Ty's father, said with a slight chuckle. "Last time we saw Ty he was three years old; and now you've been introduced…it's a little…"

"That's alright, Mr. Tiger," Shazza interrupted with a chuckle.

"O I'm so glad to see my little cub again," said Di, Ty's mom, and she hugged him again.

Ty's face flushed red when she called him that. "Aw, Mom…" he whined. Shazza giggled quietly to herself.

"O, I'm sorry, Love. It's just that…well we've missed you so much, you _and_ Sly."

"_Sly_?" Ty said startled. He had a confused look on his face.

"Yes, hun. Sly, your brother."

With that Ty was in shock. He thought that the brown Tasmanian Tiger he had fought a few days ago looked and sounded familiar; but with how fiercely he attacked him, he immediately thought otherwise. No one who wanted to kill him_ that_ badly could have been related to him in his mind. Still, after the battle, Ty couldn't help but think about his long lost brother, and how closely he and the tiger he just fought resembled each other.

Unknown to him, Sly had hidden behind some rocks near the bridge at Rainbow Cliffs after Cass's robot exploded. He flinched a little when his mom mentioned his name. "They _do_ remember me…" he said quietly to himself. He really had been lied to for twelve years. He felt sick to his stomach. "And I almost _killed_ him…my baby brother…" Guilt and shame flooded him like a tsunami. He hated himself. "How can I face him now? He'd never forgive me…not after what I've done…" Little did Ty know that Sly had the same thoughts about him after the battle, too. They had been separated for so long, he had forgotten what his baby brother looked like. He never forgot what his voice sounded like, though. Unfortunately for him, Ty had hit puberty when the battle commenced. When he first saw Ty before they fought, Sly knew he looked familiar, but couldn't remember where he saw him. Even after the battle he couldn't help but ask himself, "Who was he? He seems so familiar…"

"Yea, where is that first-born son of mine?" Bri asked.

Betty noticed Ty's facial expression. "Ty, what's wrong?"

Ty looked at her, then looked down sideways. "I…..I don't know. I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since the night before the explosion happened after you guys were sucked into the Dreaming."

They all looked at him in shock. Sly was gone? How? They had left both of them with the bilby family that raised Ty. Where could he be? Was he ok? Was he even ….. alive?

Ty read all their facial expressions and knew what they were thinking. "I don't know what happened to him."

"Maybe I can give you blokes a hand with that," said Maurie as he flew beside them.

"Mate," said Bri. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

"And all of you are a sight for old eyes, namely mine."

They all chuckled a bit.

"Listen, I overheard your conversation," said Maurie. "I think I know someone who can help you find your son."

"Who?" Di asked.

"His name's Julius. He's a rather eccentric koala. He invents all sorts of gadgets and machines. I'd wager he's built something that'll help you find him."

"Worth a shot," said Betty anxiously. "I just wonder where he could've gotten to…"

"We'll find him, Betty," said Bri. "We'll find him. Now where can we find this koala, Maurie?"

"I can take you to him right now. His lab's this way." Maurie started to take off and fly down into the cliffs toward Julius's lab. Bri, Di, Betty, and their other relatives follow him. They unknowingly passed the rocks that Sly was hiding behind. He backed up closer to the cliff to avoid being seen by them. He remained glued to the cliff wall after they passed. Shazza started to follow, but noticed that Ty wasn't moving and was spaced out.

"You comin, possum?"

"What? Oh…Yea…I guess…"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothin…"

"Don't bluff, possum. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"…I think I might've seen Sly…"

Sly's ears perked up when he heard that.

"What? Where? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Because I think he tried to kill me…"

Sly's heart stopped for a moment. "He knows it was me…"

Shazza looked horrified. "How…How do you know that?"

"Remember that Tiger I told you I fought after I ran into that lyrebird?"

"Yea…"

"He looked familiar. I recognized him. I just couldn't remember where I had seen him. His eyes…they just seemed so…familiar…"

"And you think it was Sly?"

"I know it was now. After I destroyed some wires inside Cass's robot, I ran back out on top. That Tiger came out of nowhere and shouted, 'Ty! You'll need this!' Then he tossed me a boomerang I had never seen before. When Boss Cass saw him, he said, '_Sly_? What are you doing?' Unless it's a different Tiger, that _Sly_ was my brother."

Sly's heart sank to his stomach. He loved his brother. He couldn't believe that he had tried to kill him. He couldn't believe that he believed Cass. He couldn't believe what he had become. Tears were now burning in his eyes. If Ty and Shaz weren't standing a few feet away, he would've cried his heart out. He fought to keep the tears contained, but a few escaped.

Shazza didn't know what to say. She stood there breathless, staring at Ty, mouth agape.

"It's a hard pill to swallow, Shaz. I just didn't know how to tell my family…"

"…So what are you gonna do if you see him again, if he really is your brother?"

Sly's ears perked up again.

Ty sighed and looked at the ground. "…I don't know."

Sly started to go numb. He didn't know what he would do if he saw Ty again either. Would they fight again? Would Ty hate him? Would he tell their family about the terrible things he had done? Sly began to contemplate running away; he couldn't bear the thought of his family discovering what he had done. Little did the brothers know, however, that they were about to confront each other sooner than they thought…

Shaz grabbed Ty's hands and started rubbing her thumbs across the back of his gloves to try to offer some form of comfort. She knew he might resist a hug in this state.

He clasped her hands and looked up; their eyes met and a small, sad smile found its way to his face. "Well I guess I shouldn't keep my family waiting too long…before they start to worry about me, too."

"Right…" Shaz said quietly. "Let's go, Possum."

She let go of one of his hands, and turned and walked in the direction that the others had gone. Ty followed, lagging slightly. He still didn't know how to process the fact that his own brother had tried to kill him.

Halfway to the lab Ty couldn't take it anymore; he had to be alone for a while. His thoughts were eating away at him. He let go of Shazza's hand, turned around, put both hands to his head, and stopped.

"Sorry, Shaz…I-"

"It's okay, Possum. I'll tell your family that you're just in a bit of shock right now and need some space."

"Thanks…"

"No worries."

That made him chuckle a bit. She smiled knowing that she had at least put a smile on his face, then kept walking toward Julius' lab.


End file.
